My Go-To Crispy Tofu

Learn how to make crispy tofu with this step-by-step guide for the perfectly crispy tofu to serve over salads or with your favorite vegetables and rice. Made in just 10 minutes for a quick and easy addition to any meal.

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It always surprises me when people tell me they don’t like tofu.

While everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I don’t mean to impose all my feelings on others, I immediately think (to myself), “you’re just not cooking it right.” Because how can anyone not like perfectly crispy tofu slathered in your favorite sauce and served with your favorite vegetables? I just don’t get it!

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It took me years of cooking tofu to finally discover the secrets of crispy tofu. For those of you who truly don’t like tofu, go ahead and ignore me, but for the tofu-curious who just haven’t mastered it yet, let me try and shed some light.

Ready for this? Let’s go!

How to Make the Perfect Crispy Tofu:

Step One – Prepare the tofu.

When making crispy tofu, high quality, extra firm tofu is a must. Look for tofu that is not water packed, such as Trader Joe’s High-Protein Tofu or Wildwood’s Super Firm or Sprouted Tofu. These types of tofu do not have excess water and do not need to be pressed. If you have to use water-packed tofu make sure to press as much water as you can out of it first by using a tofu pressor a weighted, towel-lined cutting board. Press the tofu for at least 1 hour.

Whether you had to press the tofu or not, dab it dry with a kitchen towel. Place it on your cutting board and with a sharp knife, cube the tofu as evenly as possible. This will ensure an even fry. Once your tofu cubes are cut, toss them in a thin layer of cornstarch. The cornstarch will fry up and give the tofu the perfect crisp you desire.

Step Two – Prepare the pan.

Use a large cast iron skillet for pan-frying your tofu. Cast iron is best because it heats up SUPER HOT and when oiled properly has a non-stick surface. You should use at least at 10″ pan so that there’s enough surface area that the tofu doesn’t stick together, preventing an even fry.

Heat the skillet SUPER HOT before adding the oil. Add your oil, rotating the skillet so that it evenly covers the bottom. Heat the oil until it sizzles. Test the heat with a drop of water. If it sizzles immediately, you’re ready to add the tofu.

Step Three – Fry it up!

Add the tofu to the hot oil. Rather than stirring with a spoon, I find that shaking the tofu in the pan allows for more even frying. This also prevents cornstarch from sticking to the bottom of the pan or the stirring spoon. Grab the handle and shake, while still over the heat, for 10 seconds at time, shaking hard enough enough so that the tofu is popping around and getting cooked on all sides. Do this every 30 seconds or so.

Season your tofu. I add 1-2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to my tofu. This gives it a nice crust with a delightful cheesy, nutty flavor (not to mention some health benefits). I also add 1 teaspoon of salt to bring out the flavors. Shake the nutritional yeast and salt with the tofu until it’s evenly coated.

Step Four – Serve it up!

You’ll want to eat the tofu immediately so that it keeps it’s perfect crispy bite. Serve the tofu on a bed of wilted kale, over your favorite salad, or with rice and vegetables. However you choose, this tofu is versatile, easy, and oh so delicious!

Sound good? Let’s take a look at the recipe.

Learn how to make crispy tofu with this step-by-step guide for the perfectly crispy tofu to serve over salads or with your favorite vegetables and rice. Made in just 10 minutes for a quick and easy addition to any meal.

If the tofu is water packed, press it in a tofu press or wrap it in a kitchen towel and place it underneath a weighted cutting board. Ideally, look for brands that do not need pressing such as Wildwood Super Firm Tofu and Trader Joes High Protein Tofu.

Cut the tofu into 1/2 - 3/4" cubes and place in a large ziplock bag. Add cornstarch and shake until tofu is evenly coated.

In a large cast iron skillet, heat up coconut oil over medium high heat until coconut oil sizzles when water is dropped on it. Reduce heat to medium and add cornstarch coated tofu.

While tofu cooks, shake the pan by the handle every 10 or 15 seconds so that tofu is always cooking on every side. This also keeps the cornstarch from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Once tofu is cooked and is lightly brown, about 5 minutes, add nutritional yeast and salt. Shake the tofu to evenly coat it and cook for an additional 60 seconds before removing from heat.

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